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Rugrats Review/Transcript
(Intro) Tommy: 'We gotta find the bolts that open up the chestplate. *opens up Stu's shirt* See? *points to Stu's nipples* There they are! *twists one of the nipples with a wrench* '''Stu: '*screams* 'Tommy and Chuckie: '*scream* And now it's time for the last of the three original Nicktoons, and the most successful of them by far. We're dealing with Rugrats! This show had over 170 episodes, spanning for about 13 years. Since then, it had two spinoffs. The show didn't have a film; it had a film ''series''. The first of which being one of the few theatrical cartoon movies that Nickelodeon aired. And the first two films introduced new characters that changed the dynamics of the series. Let's just say that Nickelodeon's strategy of picking one series and milking the hell out of it started from damn near the beginning. (Cut to the first Rugrats movie teaser trailer) 'Announcer: '''For nearly a decade, they've invaded your homes...their little bodies dispensing frightful tales and invoking fear in the hearts of men...every sunrise and every sunset, they appear again and again...ready to wreak more havoc! But like with ''Spongebob ''and ''Fairly Oddparents, I don't wanna hold over-airing as an issue with the series itself. But because Rugrats ''was so over-aired and so-long-extended-past-the-point-it-was-relevant, it does kind of affect history's perspective on the series. If this show was cancelled in its prime or just as it started souring, I think people's opinions of the show overall would be a lot higher. It might rank up there with one of the best Nicktoons ever made. Nowadays though, no one really talks about or cares about ''Rugrats. Fairly Oddparents? I hope you start taking notes because, this is your future. I suppose we should start with the...one thing that stayed consistent, and that's the art style. ''Rugrats ''was the first Nickelodeon show that was animated by Klasky Csupo. I don't know if this is an unpopular opinion or anything but, I have no idea why Klasky Csupo was hired time and time again. I mean, I know why they were on some level. After all, they just happened to animate ''Rugrats ''which was Nickelodeon's biggest hit until ''Spongebob ''came along. But Klasky Csupo's art style is something that I am...not really a fan of and I don't think I've ever been a fan of. I mean, it is really nostalgic for me, because it was used in a lot of shows that I grew up with, but it's a pretty ''ugly art style. All of the characters; their heads...look like potatoes. These are abstractions of what people should look like. Their art style definitely worked with shows that were supposed to look a little bit weird or ugly like ''Aaahh!!! Real Monsters ''or ''Duckman, but when the show starred what was supposed to be...real people, it '''never worked for me. Making matters worse is that their style got worse and worse over the years. Rugrats ''and ''Wild Thornberrys are tolerable. Rocket Power? Not so much. As Told by Ginger? Why do the people look like that? Mouths do not go at the bottom of the head. All of the characters in that show look like vacuum cleaners...But, that's another review. We gotta talk about Rugrats ''today. ''Rugrats ''stars four babies...at least at the start. Tommy Pickles, Phil and Lil DeVille, and Chuckie Finster. The show was originally about babies coming to terms with the world around them for the first time and trying to make sense of it, often filtered through their overactive imaginations and misconceptions that kids usually have. Like, babies coming from a stork for instance. This is the kind of show that was 'made 'to be nostalgic for anyone. If you remember a time where you thought that being fired from work literally meant that you'd be set on fire or that the moons followed specifically you, this show...you might find some attachment to. At the start, ''Rugrats ''episodes were usually about these kinds of problems. Or it would take on a more slice-of-life approach. They'd take a common problem and it would show the kids just going through these scenarios as a first-time experience, which gave the show its own unique charm. And if there's one thing you can give ''Rugrats, it's that it's charming. Ren & Stimpy ''tried to be funny. ''Doug ''tried to be intriguing. And ''Rugrats ''tried to be charming. '''Mr. Friend: '''Here I am! Don't be blue and I will sing a song for you! I would say that the show succeeded a lot more than ''Doug, but not as much as Ren & Stimpy. Not to say that this show is bad or mediocre, because...it's not. Depending on what time frame of the show we're talking about. Rugrats, like Spongebob, tends to be divided by specific eras. And coincidentally enough, those eras also coincide with movie releases. The first Rugrats ''movie, which I'm not going to talk about here, introduced Dil. The second one introduced Kimi. Both of which are known as points where the show jumped the shark. Yeah, generally it's a bad idea to add a baby to a show, and even a show about babies isn't immune to a show jumping the shark by adding a baby. Dil was a stupid addition because he did not make any sense whatsoever. This was a show where babies could talk to each other and interact, and basically had some sort of mental faculties. Meanwhile, Dil acted like...an actual baby. The excuse was that he was younger than the others, but in the movie, other newborn babies were cognitive enough to talk and sing and...even complain about their recent circumcision. '''Baby 1: '''Man, they cut my cord! '''Baby 2: '''Aww...consider yourself lucky! ['Caption: I'll get to this movie later, trust me'] ''(Babies start urinating and create a rainbow) Baby 3: '''Real cool... '''Babies: ''This world is something new to me!'' Rugrats ''had a lot of adult humor and references, which may have contributed to its popularity. '''Phil': Okay, Chuckie! It's time to go... Lil: 'The chair is waitin' for yas. '''Chuckie: '''But...but...I'm too young to go! '''Phil and Lil: '''Not anymore! *grab Chuckie* Later on in the series, a lot of the fantasies became direct movie parodies. A lot of people didn't like this very much, as the fantasies earlier on worked much more unique. The episode where Tommy and Chuckie get to act out what they think an adult's typical life is is a prime example of that. But I didn't really mind the parody episodes, I thought they were pretty interesting, because the characters were strong enough to make them interesting. The characters in this show were pretty damn decent. Most of them anyway. Our four rugrats each have their own dynamics. Tommy was the stalwart leader, Chuckie was our coward, and Phil and Lil ate bugs...and peer pressured Chuckie to do what Tommy wanted. Oh, before I neglect to mention this, ''Rugrats ''could be very gross. '''Chuckie: '''They're trying to make me...use that! Instead of my diaper! '''Phil: '...Naw, that can't happen! 'Lil: '''Yeah! How's it gonna fit in your pants? It is a show about babies after all and, babies are pretty gross. I mean Tommy keeps a screwdriver in his diaper for starters. But Phil and Lil's main character trait is that they eat bugs. Yeah, I probably like them less than Angelica. '''Angelica: '''That's right! I did it! And I'd break it again if I had the chance! But you know what? There's nothing you babies can do about it, cause you can't talk! Angelica gets ''way ''too much hate. I'm just gonna say it right here. Maybe it's because I've been watching bratty kids in cartoons for years now... ''(Shows clip of the Arthur episode "D.W.'s Very Bad Mood") '''Francine: '''Hey, D.W.! '''D.W.: '''Francine? Can I ask you a question? '''Francine: '''Sure! Anything! '''D.W.: '''Why don't you go back to your own house...and stop bothering us?! But Angelica doesn't really bother me. You know that she's kinda the antagonist, right? '''We're not supposed to like her. Her causing trouble leads to the conflict, that it's the point of the episode for the others to resolve. Yeah, she does get away with it a lot more often than she should, but other than that, she is a pretty good antagonist. She's no Lola Loud I'll admit, but she is anything if but memorable. No, if there's anyone to hate in this show, it's the parents. Way back when, I wanted to make a top 10 worst parents in animation list, and if Buck Cluck wasn't number one, the parents in Rugrats ''would probably be number one. '''All of them'. Every single one of them. These parents are some of the worst that I have ever seen in animation. And considering the competition, that is saying something. Like a lot of the reason that Angelica is the way that she is, is because her father, Drew, lets her get away with murder. You know, whenever he's not in a petty squabble with Stu. The big problem though, is how ignorant they are of their kids. I know if these guys were more competent, then we wouldn't have a show at all but, there is a limit to that. In every single ''episode, like every single one, they just lose their kids! Their '''infant children'! If your infant children are escaping from you this damn much, there is a fundamental problem with your parenting style, and CPS should probably be involved. But, they're like, nope! Their kids are crawling around in a meat grinder and they're more focused with getting to a baseball game, or watching football on TV, or something inane. And they think they're good at parenting because they read a book by...I'm probably going to get demonetized by saying this name...but, Dr. Lipschitz. I actually had to check and figure out if that's a real name or not. It apparently, is a real last name. And if your last name is Lipschitz, I am...in-incredibly sorry for you. When I first heard that name as an adult, I thought that it was an adult joke. You know, like getting the characters to say "Lip shits" over and over again. I mean it would make sense because literally everything the doctor speaks is patently bullshit. Dr. Lipschitz: ''It's really something different from what we fantasize'' You are doing something wrong when the baby cries Dr. Lipschitz has a lot of "lip shits." I-I still don't know if it's intentional or not, even if the name is real. As far as I can tell, the character himself is a parody of Sigmund Freud, with the accent and everything which I still don't understand. I mean, the most famous child psychoanalysist was Benjamin Spock. But I don't see, I don't know, a Star Trek ''parody here. It's hard for me to give any kind of recommendation for ''Rugrats ''in this day and age. I mean, everything I give is probably gonna have a ton of caveats anyway. I know that this show is getting more famous because of how meme worthy it's become... ''(Cut to the episode "Angelica Breaks a Leg") Didi: '''Stu...what are you doing? '''Stu: '''Making chocolate pudding. '''Didi: '''It's four o' clock in the morning. Why on earth are you making chocolate pudding? '''Stu: '''Because I've lost control of my life. '''Angelica: *laughing while watching television* Stu: Here's your pudding, Angelica. Angelica: 'Oh that's okay, Uncle Stu. I'm not hungry anymore. ''(Cut to the episode "In the Dreamtime") 'Clown Stu: '''I'm not Stu! *evil laugh* '''Chaz: '*screams as he wakes up in his bed* But, good memes...don't a good show make, as we've learned with the Zelda CDI games. I did like revisiting this show, I will say that, but not every single episode. That's because the show really does get gross sometimes. '''Chuckie: '''We'd better go in the house or we'll get all wet! '''Phil: '''I'm already wet... '''Lil: Me too... (Phil and Lil giggle) Not as much as Ren & Stimpy, but we've got episodes about toilet training and bed wetting...and like I said Tommy sticks a screwdriver in his diaper...and the Tommy doll that they made to promote the first movie never ever shut up! Seriously that thing would be singing "Witch Doctor" all fucking night until you threw it out the window. The season 1 episodes tended to be very slow and deal with extremely small problems. It tended to stick with the "Gee, wow! Everything is so new and the baby doesn't understand it all!" I'd start with season 2 where the babies acted a little bit less like babies and started to develop more as their own characters. And most fans would suggest that you bail out by the time of the first movie. Although I guess there is some more demand for this show considering they're making a third spinoff. It worked for The Powerpuff Girls, I'm sure it'll work for Rugrats ''too. ''(Shows clip from Angelica & Susie's Pre-School Daze with scary music and screaming played over it) (End Credits Theme: "Rugrats Rap") Category:Nick-o-Rama Category:Transcripts